Magical Mercenary
by Dracyllion
Summary: When Subaru is summoned to Hayate's office and told to go on a mission with a woman she's never seen before, how will things unfold? And who is the selfproclaimed 'Queen of Fire' hiding in the ruins of a once mighty city?


A oneshot about Subaru and Chrysae (OC) going on a mission together.

Oh, and I just realized that, in StrikerS, Asura was no longer being used. But since I can't remember Chrono's new ships name, and don't feel like looking it up, I'll just keep Asura there. At least until someone gives me the proper name.

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**Magical Mercenary  
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Subaru had been most astounded when she had been called over to Commander Hayate's office. It was a first time for her, so it was understandable that she was a bit nervous. Well, actually she was so nervous she got lost while on her way to Hayate's office. Twice.

When she finally made it to the Mobile Section Six's commander's office, she found the door invitingly open. After gathering what was left of her courage, she stepped into the spacious room.

What greeted her, were the figures of Commander Hayate and some girl – young woman, she corrected herself – she had never seen. The woman had beautiful white hair on a ponytail, her eyes were the color of rubies and her posture was both serene and graceful.

The woman immediately turned her gaze towards Subaru as she entered the room.

For some reason, as soon as their eyes met, all of Subaru's nervousness seemed to vanish.

"Um..." Subaru started, not quite sure what to make of the situation. She had never seen this woman before, but there had to be a reason she was here.

_Could she be Commander Hayate's friend? But...Why would I be invited, if it was a meeting between friends._ Subaru's brains were going at full throttle, which was quite unusual for the girl - unless there was combat involved.

_Could she be a mage?_ As the though crossed Subaru's mind, she noticed another interesting detail about this unknown woman. _She only has a glove on her left hand?_

And, as Subaru noticed, it wasn't just your everyday glove. It was a jet black glove, with a golden cross on it.

"Subaru?" Hayate's voice called to her, as she kept eyeing the stranger.

"Eh, yes!"

She quickly turned her attention back to her commanding officer, blushing slightly from embarrassment.

Hayate was gesturing her to take a seat on the couch opposite of the other two.

Subaru quickly composed herself and hurried to sit down.

Keeping her eyes fixed on Hayate, she continued from her earlier thoughts. _She could be a mage...Maybe a new recruit? She looks quite experienced, though._ It was suprising, how close Subaru actually was in her reasoning.

The woman was, indeed a mage, although not one of the Section Six's. Still, all things considered, it was astonishingly sharp of Subaru to realize the woman was a mage.

Subaru's thoughts were once again disrupted by Hayate's slightly irritated voice. "Subaru! Are you listening to me?" This quickly brought the girl back to earth, as she blushed bright red from head to toe.

"Um...So-sorry!" She bowed her head in an apology, knowing things weren't going exactly well for her.

Hayate sighed deeply. "As I was saying, this...", she nodded at the white haired woman, "...is Chrysae-san, a AA-ranked mercenary-mage."

Before Hayate could continue, Subaru blurted out the question on her mind.

"A mercenary...mage?" She had a puzzled look on her face, not quite sure what Hayate had meant with that.

"Yes, a mercenary-mage. In other words, an independent mage who works for money." Hayate clearly explained to the young forward.

When it looked like the girl had somewhat grasped the meaning of her words, Hayate continued, "And so, I would like the two of you to go investigate a site where a relic is rumored to have been sighted."

Subaru listened to Hayate quietly, and after she had finished, asked the question that was bothering her. "But...why me?" Subaru knew, although she hated to admit it, that she was still inexperienced and not all that reliable, at least when thinking was involved.

Hayate's shoulders slumped a little, "Well, both Nanoha-chan and Fate-chan are on missions."

"What about vice-captain Vita and vice-captain Signum?" Subaru curiously asked.

"Vita's together with Nanoha, and Signum said she wouldn't do it."

"Vice-captain Signum did?" Subaru found this piece of news quite hard to believe.

She had never heard of Signum disobeying Hayate's orders before now.

"Yes..." Hayate sighed theatrically, "My children are getting more and more rebellious by the day. I wonder if they've hit _that_ age already..."

As always, Subaru couldn't conceive whether the Commander was joking or not.

Nor did she really want to know. Some things, as she had learned the hard way, were better left not known.

"And since you are, with your rollerblades, the most mobile of the forwards I thought you would be best suited for this mission." For some reason, Subaru suddenly felt a chills running down her spine.

"Um...But what does that have to do with the mission?" Subaru asked, not quite being able to understand the need for mobility, when the transportation would either be by Asura's teleportation devices, or by the Section's own helicopters.

"Well, you see..." Hayate fidgeted uncomfortably. "All of our own helicopters are currently under maintenance. And Asura...Well, I asked Chrono for teleportation and guess what he said?"

Hayate adjusted her voice, starting with an arrogant tone, as if lecturing, in an imitation of the Admiral. "You see, Hayate, I'd like to give a you a hand, but we're currently busy. Yes, I know about the relics, but you have yet to confirm that there is one in Albasta, right? So, no, I can't help you. We're chasing a AA dimensional criminal here."

That..." Hayate's voice turned condescending, and she was looking at Subaru down her nose, "...takes priority over a mere rumor." Hayate stopped the imitation, "Is what he said! Can you believe it? The nerve!" She had a seriously annoyed look on her face.

Subaru thought it best not to say anything, seeing how Hayate was still foaming from the memory, so she turned her attention to her partner for this mission, Chrysae-san.

The woman was calmly observing the situation, not much emotion showing from her pale face. When she noticed Subaru's stare, she turned to her, which made Subaru's heart skip a few beats.

While Subaru was still busy adoring her temporary partner, Hayate regained her composure, and turned back to Subaru.

"So, as it is, you two will have to make it Albasta on your own. And since none of you forwards can fly yet, your rollerblades will make it easier for you to keep it up with Chrysae-san here. Plus, your 'Wing Road' should be able to double as flying magic, no? If you make haste, you should be able to reach your destination in a couple of days."

Subaru, eyes still fixed at Chrysae, raised her hand to salute: "Yes ma'am!"

It was true that she could use the 'Wing Road' to keep up with flying. She just had never tried to, and had no idea how long it would last.

Hayate turned to face Chrysae. "Then, I shall entrust her to you. You know the details, right?" A nod. "Good, you may leave as soon as you're ready." With that, Hayate turned to some papers on her desk, as if signaling the briefing was over.

"Do you need time for preparations?" The white haired woman asked her after they were back on the corridor.

"Yes, ma'am!" Subaru answered formally, knowing she was only on the mission as support.

"You have 20 minutes. We'll meet in the front lounge. And...there's no need to be so formal." With that, the woman left her standing in the corridor, until she realized she only had 20 minutes for preparations.

Teana, who was reading a tactics book in her bed, almost had a heart attack when Subaru suddenly stormed into their room and started packing things into a small bag.

"Subaru! Don't come in rushing like that!" Subaru on the other hand hardly noticed her reprimanding tone, giving only a short reply while trying to fit everything she needed into the bag. "Sorry, Tea, I'm kinda in a hurry. I'll explain everything when I get back."

Teana was just about to get up and beat some respect into her idiot of a roommate when Subaru finished packing and pretty much ran out of the room, leaving the stunned Teana staring at the door. After the initial shock subsided, it was replaced by burning anger._ Why that little... Just you wait! I'll make you regret ignoring me after you get back!_

Subaru knew she was late when she reached the lounge. She had tried to hurry, but her room wasn't exactly close to either Hayate's office nor the lounge.

And so when she approached the white haired woman waiting for her, she was expecting some sort of lecture. There was, however, none. As soon as Subaru reached her partner, she started started walking towards the exit, not saying a word.

Subaru was sure she was mad at her. And it didn't really help that this was their first mission together.

"Um...I'm sorry I was late."

"It's no big deal." The woman walking ahead of her answered without even turning.

"Eh?" Subaru was taken aback by her words. _No big deal...?_

"It's not like few minutes would change anything. And this place is quite big, so you must've spent most of that time getting around." Her voice was as emotionless as always, but her words somehow warmed Subaru's heart.

_So this is a mercenary mage? She's nothing like the strict mages of the Bureau..._

"Chrysae-san, um, have you ever fought gadget drones? 'Cos we just might run into some in this mission."

"Yes, I have fought them before. And Subaru...you can just call me Chrysae."

It was the first time she had heard Chrysae say her name, and for some reason, it made her cheeks color in red. "Y-yes, Chrysae-sa...I mean, Chrysae."

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They had already been flying for hours now – well, technically Chrysae was the only one flying since Subaru was using her 'Wing Road' to keep up - and Subaru was starting to feel the strength drain from her body.

She had never used the 'Wing Road' for more than a couple of minutes at most. Now she had been using it continuously for hours and it was beginning to get to her.

The mage flying next to her noticed her struggle and kindly suggested a rest.

"I'm alright, Chrysae, really."

In fact, she would've wanted nothing better than to take a little breather, but she didn't want to be a bother. She'd rather endure the strain than become dead weight.

"Are you sure? I don't think you'll be able to keep it up much longer, though." Suprisingly, Subaru could discern concern in the usually emotionless voice of Chrysae.

"I can still go on." She was touched by Chrysae's concern, but giving up now was no longer an option to her. And so she kept struggling with controlling the 'Wing Road' while following Chrysae's lead.

When she caught herself almost falling asleep, her eyelids nearly closed, Subaru came up with an idea to keep herself focused. If she could just keep her mind occupied, she wouldn't need to worry about falling asleep.

"Say, Chrysae, where are we going to?" True, Hayate had told them the destination, but back then Subaru hadn't been paying so much attention as to be able to recall such a delicate detail.

"Albasta."

"Albasta?" That name rang a bell in Subaru's head. She was certain she had heard it somewhere, probably during training. But since Subaru's span of attention tended to be quite short for anything not involving direct combat, she had trouble recalling the name.

"Albasta...Albasta...Wait-! _That_ Albasta?"

"Yes, that Albasta. The city of ruins. The one that was utterly destroyed in a magical explosion some years ago."

The Albasta incident. It was said that the whole city had been reduced to ruins by a magical explosion, most likely caused by a relic. Of course, the public had been told that it had been a scientific experimentation gone awry.

Subaru herself didn't know what the truth was, but she was fairly sure that the captains of the Mobile Section Six would know the details. _I wonder if they'd tell me if I asked... Nah, probably not._

As Subaru kept pondering the Albasta incident, her concentration slowly started deteriorating. And before she knew it, her consciousness was slipping away.

It was only for a moment, but that moment cost her the control of 'Wing Road' which ended up disappearing from right under her.

"Kyaah!"

She screamed as she started falling from the sky, flailing her arms desperately trying to slow down her fall.

"Subaru!" The woman flying ahead turned as soon as she heard the scream.

Unfortunately, she was already too far away.

Even while desperately flailing, Subaru could see that Chrysae wouldn't make it in time. She tried recreating the 'Wing Road' only to find she had exhausted her magical powers.

As the ground kept getting closer and closer Subaru's mind was filled with thoughts.

_Am I going to die? Like this? No! I don't wanna die...Somebody...Sombody help me!_

Her mind was going crazy, and as she was about to hit the ground, she closed her eyes and screamed the first name that came to her mind.

"Nanoha!!!!"

"Saint Step."

The space around Chrysae blurred and the next thing Subaru knew was that she had stopped falling.

As she slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurred considerably. She couldn't make out her surroundings, but there was a familiar looking figure right in front of her eyes.

"Nano...ha?" The question came to her lips before she realized how impossible it was for Nanoha to be there.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no." The voice that answered her was soft, and sounded slightly amused despite the seriousness of what had almost happened.

As her vision returned, she found Chrysae's red eyes staring at her only a few centimeters away from her face.

"Eh...?" She looked around, and noticed they were hovering in air only a few meters above ground. "How did you-?"

"Temporary high-level speed boosting magic." The reply was short, as the woman slowly started rising back to the sky, still holding Subaru.

"Um...Th-thank you..." Subaru felt her cheeks turning to bright red, "You can put me down now. I just kinda dazed off there, I'll be fine."

No answer. Chrysae calmly double-checked the direction they had been going to and started flying, not paying the girl she was carrying any attention.

"Uh, um...Chrysae? I'm alright now, so can you put me down?" Subaru's cheeks were blazing, and she was fidgeting in the other mage's arms.

"No." The white haired woman didn't even bother looking at Subaru as she answered firmly.

"Why? I'm totally fine, really."

"No you're not. If I let go of you now, you'd drop like a rock. And then I'd have to explain it to that little banshee."

Even though she knew it was more than just inappropriate Subaru couldn't help but burst out laughing at the metaphor.

"Ba-banshee?!" Ha ha-ha haa!" She laughed so hard her stomache started hurting and by the time she finally stopped, her eyes were wet from tears. She couldn't remember when she had last laughed so much.

And then, when she lifted her eyes, she saw something out of this world. It was so divine a sight that her heart almost stopped from it's brilliance.

Chrysae was looking straight at her...smiling.

It might have been just the sun, or maybe Subaru's eyes were playing a trick on her, but it looked like the woman carrying her was radiating with serene light.

It was like an angel had descended from the heavens to smile upon Subaru. She couldn't look away, couldn't say a word. It was almost like a dream.

But all dreams must come to an end, and this one was no different. The woman slowly turned her attention back to the way Albasta lay, and the moment was gone.

But for Subaru, it was something she wouldn't ever forget about. A memory she would cherish until the day she died. It was that great of an impact it had had on her.

The journey continued, and after some more hours, Subaru started to doze off.

When she woke up, the sun was already beginning to set on the horizon, yet Chrysae still continued flying.

"Oh, finally awake, Subaru?" She asked her without even looking at her direction.

"Yes...Although I didn't mean to fall asleep. I'm sorry."

"For what? It did you good, didn't it? Just try to sleep some more and regain your magical energy." The woman flashed her a brief smile, before turning her concentration back to flying.

"But...You've been carrying me all this time! I've already recovered enough to go for few more hours. Besides...I'm heavy, aren't I" She blushed at her own words, turning her eyes downwards.

"Not particularly. And you really should save your energy for when you need it. If you're worried about me, then there's no need for that. I could fly three days straight if I had to. While carrying someone of your weight."

"But-" Subaru tried to protest but was quickly cut short.

"No buts! I was put in charge of this mission, so you will listen to what I say. Understood, Private Nakajima?" Chrysae's voice took a harsh tone, and she gave Subaru a sharp glance.

"Y-yes ma'am!" Subaru answered reflexively. Of course she knew Chrysae was in charge of the mission, and that gave her absolute authority over Subaru herself.

"That's more like it. Just rest for a while longer, Subaru." Chrysae's tone immediately softened now that Subaru was no longer protesting.

"O-okay..." Defeated, Subaru gave in, and closed her eyes for some more rest before they'd settle for the night.

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They had flown for a few more hours before Chrysae had spotted a suitable camping location.

Now they were comfortably sitting around the campfire Chrysae had made, warming themselves after the long flight.

After a while, the white haired woman's eyes closed which allowed Subaru to take a closer look at her.

The shadows cast by the fire were dancing on the pale face, giving her an oddly frightening appearance despite the otherwise serene expression. It made Subaru realize that she did, in fact, know next to nothing about her.

"Say, Chrysae?" Subaru asked in a low voice, half expecting Chrysae's eyes to remain closed. However, the eyes opened, staring at Subaru across the fire like burning charcoals.

"What is it, Subaru?" the voice was not cold, but it did not have any warmth in it either. Perhaps she had not wanted to be bothered yet. Or maybe she was just tired. Subaru had no idea.

"What is it like being a mercenary?" Deciding not to let Chrysae's seeming

lack of interest get to her, she went on, "Is it fun?"

There was a brief silence, during which Chrysae's eyes were fixed at Subaru, the swirling emotions reflected in them impossible to perceive. It was the first time Subaru had ever seen eyes like that, and for some reason, they made her feel uneasy.

Then, turning her eyes to the flames, Chrysae began talking with monotonous voice,

"A mercenary, huh? It's...not an easy profession. At least not when you're still starting out. All kinds of bad things can happen."

Somehow, Subaru knew she was talking about herself. Not wanting to push it, she quickly cut in, "Ah- I see. That's how it is..." But instead of burying the subject, she only managed to bring it out more.

"Yes, that's the way it is. Of course, once you manage to make a name for yourself things will get a lot easier." Subaru could not be sure, but she thought she saw a flicker of a smile on the pale face across the fire.

"And of course, the pay's also quite good. Those denied assistance by the Bureau are often ready to pay handsomely for the services of a capable mage."

Subaru blinked. Pay? She had never thought much about such things. Granted, she was from a well-off family, so she had never really had a need to think about monetary things, but still.

"Did...did you become a mercenary because of the pay?" The words left her mouth before she realized just how rude they actually sounded. Raising hands to her face, trying to come off with an apology in panic, Subaru was once more astounded by Chrysae's reaction.

Instead of getting angry, or at least lecturing her about her manners she just...laughed.

It was the most beautiful, melodic laugh Subaru had heard. It flowed through the air, enveloping the surrounding area in it's warm, caring embrace.

It was somehow...contradictory to the way the woman seemed to carry herself. The uncaring, almost cold, expression that usually lingered on her face, as well as the monotonous tone that made her voice seem frigid.

But perhaps that was all just a fake front, hiding behind it a warm personality that just didn't often have the opportunity to surface.

Indeed, the whole mission so far had been like a ride in a roller coaster for Subaru. Whenever she thought she was fairly well onto things, something new came up and proved her wrong.

"For the pay? No, no, no. Though it is a plus." Chrysae laughed, winking at Subaru whose cheeks were flushing from embarrassment.

After that, the two chatted for a while longer before settling for sleep.

Whereas Subaru usually fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes – even during lessons – this time was different. She couldn't get that warm smile and melodic laugh out of her mind.

Rolling around on the ground, Subaru finally settled down on her back, looking at the night sky. There weren't any clouds obstructing the vision so she could easily see the stars, as well as the moon.

Looking at the moon reminded her of the time Nanoha had taken her and Teana stargazing. The moon, as she recalled, had been full back then. Just like now.

_I wonder what Teana's doing...I hope she's not overdoing it again. _

_Erio and Caro should've been in the bed for some time by now. I wonder what kind of training they did today..._

_Commander Hayate said Nanoha was on a mission with Vice-captain Vita. I wonder if I'll ever get to go on a mission alone with Nanoha? _

Subaru's thoughts were flowing through her mind with no particular pattern. In time, her consciousness started fading, and before she noticed, she was already soundly asleep.

The following morning, Subaru was woken up by splash of cold water to the face.

Making incomprehensible sounds, she rose up to a sitting position, still half asleep.

"U-haah! W-what?!" After regaining enough consciousness to realize what had just happened, she exasperatingly queried Chrysae, "What did you do that for?! You could've just woken me up in a normal way!"

Chrysae, seemingly ready to leave at any moment, looked up at Subaru, amused, and said, "Oh, I did try. About half a dozen times. But you kept asking for 'five more minutes', so I thought I'd better change to a more effective method."

Subaru's face drained of colour. Sure, there had been times when Teana had had to use the exact same method to get her up, but she'd never felt this embarrassed because of it.

She quickly shifted her eyes downwards, repeatedly apologizing to the other mage.

But, as she should've already learned, Chrysae's reaction was far from that she had grown to expect from her superiors.

The white haired girl merely shook her head, indicating it was no big deal, and offered her a couple of sandwiches that she accepted with gratitude.

As soon as Subaru had finished stuffing the sandwiches to her mouth, Chrysae declared they'd be leaving. And this time, Subaru didn't even voice her objections when picked up by the older girl, as the two started their way towards their destination.

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After arriving upon Albasta, the two were greeted by a depressing sight. What had once been a bustling city with high-level magical research facilities, was now nothing more than a huge pile of debris.

There was not a single building in the city that still stood intact. The buildings near the center had been totally wiped off, and even the ones on the outskirts of the city were so badly damaged that the ones that hadn't already collapsed looked like they could do it any moment now.

"Whoaa...I-I never imagined it would be this bad..." Subaru, still holding onto Chrysae, was clearly shocked the sight of the ruined city.

"This is what happens when humans meddle with things they should not."

Chrysae's voice was cold, void of any emotion, and it made Subaru feel more than uncomfortable.

"U-um, I wonder where the relic is?" The blue haired girl quickly changed the subject, not quite liking this new side of Chrysae she was seeing.

"Who knows. We'll just have to search for it."

The coldness in her voice was gone, and Subaru was left wondering if it had been just her imagination.

"You there-! Hiding in the shadows, show yourself!" Chrysae's voice made Subaru wince in suprise. She hadn't noticed anyone's presence.

"Oh-hoo? That's quite sharp senses you've got there, dear."

A shadowy figure started rising into the air from the shadows down below.

The figure rose up to the same level with Chrysae and Subaru, a clear indication she was a mage like them. This new mage had shoulder lenght straight red hair the colour of flames. She was wearing black robes and a huge, out-of-fashion pointy hat.

"What's this? You two on a date or something?" The question was asked in a mocking tone, accompanied by the rise of her left eyebrow.

"Not quite." Chrysae's answered, neither her face nor voice betraying any emotion. Subaru, on the other hand, had turned her face down to hide the red colour that was creeping to her cheeks.

"No? That is such a pity. Because it would've been your last chance to do it. After all, I, the Queen of the sacred Flames, Second of the Three Wyrm Sisters, holder of the Legendary Tome of Fire, Aeda Luthrenqor, shall extinguish your lives with my very own hands. You should feel honored to be-"

"We're here for the relic. Where is it?" As was to be expected, Chrysae was keeping her cool even with suprising development like this.

"Hey! How dare you interrupt me!?" Aeda's voice was irritated, and she was stomping her foot in the air.

"Just hand over the relic." Once again, Chrysae showed her experience in handling suprising situations, thoroughly confusing and confounding her opponent.

"That's-! Hey, wait just a-! Aaagh, damn it! Here, why don't you fetch it?"

She revealed a small case from behind her back and, under the widening eyes of both Subaru and Chrysae, threw it off towards the ruined buildings way down.

"Subaru!"

"Yes, right away." Subaru knew what the other girl meant, and as soon as she was dropped, created a 'Wing Road' to chase off the falling case.

With Subaru gone, the two mages eyed each other warily. Neither had taken their device out yet, but even then, it was clear the battle was already well underway.

The one to take initiative was Aeda. Throwing up something that looked like a golden hairpin she shouted, "Aedonis!" summoning a blazing book into her hands.

Chrysae was quick to follow, raising her left hand while commanding, "Mythos!" wherein the glove on her left hand started glowing, eventually transforming into a long black staff with a green orb surrounded by metal strings at it's tip.

As soon as the devices were out, the air was filled with magical projectiles. The fiery attacks of Aeda were countered by the acidic blasts of the calm Chrysae. For a while, the sky was lit up, as if there was a fireworks show going on.

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While Chrysae was exhanging blows with the enemy mage up in the sky, Subaru was busy dodging the attacks of a group of gadget drones while protecting the relic-case.

She had caught the case just before it was about to crash into the ground, and while she had still been trying to catch her breath, she had been attacked by a group of gadget drones.

The enemy was nothing exceptional. There were about half a dozen smaller ones and one bigger one. If she didn't have the relic to consider, she could've wiped the ground with the gadgets in a matter of moments. All thanks to Nanoha's training, she reminded herself.

But as things were, she was severely handicapped and so she'd thought it best to try and divide the enemy, take them out one by one. So she had done the obvious – running, or rather skating, off as fast as she could.

The hide-and-seek in the ruined city had gone on for while now, and even as Subaru hoped her partner would finish up and come pick her up, it didn't seem like the battle in the air would be ending anytime soon either.

Subaru was kneeling down inside a ruined house that only had one of it's original four walls still standing. She was panting, clutching the case tighly against her left side.

_Darn...Maybe I should've left the case somewhere until I took care of these buggers._

Before she could consider it in more detail, though, she was found by a couple of gadgets.

Kicking off the wall she dodged the first attacks, as well as got herself on the move.

Seeing only two of the smaller ones, she came to the conclusion it was time to stop the game and get serious.

Speeding off into the opposite direction from the gadgets, she jumped high into air just in time to avoid getting hit, immediately creating a 'Wing Road' and charging up high, before making a complex turn to come back crashing into the other gadget.

The power of the impact was enough to send the gadget into a fatal flight that ended up in an explosion as it hit an enormous chunk of concrete lying on the street.

Subaru used the counterforce of the impact to slow her own speed and launch a 'Revolver Shoot' on the other gadget. There was, however, no time for celebration, as Subaru soon found out the hard way.

Having concentrated on the two small gadgets, she hadn't noticed the large one sneaking up on her. Something that would've earned her a long lecture from Nanoha , had it been training.

This time all it earned her was a deep cut on her left leg as the gadget's attack pierced through her field-protection. Fortunately the cut, even though quite deep, did not restrict her movement as long as she managed to ignore the pain.

Quickly springing into evasive maneuvers, Subaru cursed her own carelessness. Who knows what might've happened if the attack had hit the relic instead.

The large drone was quite fast for it's size, and Subaru was hard-pressed to find an opening, what with her left leg wounded and left hand holding the case where the relic was.

She knew it would not bode well for her if the battle dragged on too long. With no other choices, she pulled back from the gadget in order to devise a plan. It didn't take long for her to come up with an idea.

She quickly created another 'Wing Road' and went high above the city in order to find a good place to put her 'ingenious' plan into motion. After a while, she spotted the perfect place for the plan. Then all that was left, was to get the gadget there.

The plan very nearly failed before Subaru even had a chance to execute it. To draw the gadget there, she had been baiting it, while staying a safe distance away from it to be able to dodge all of it's attacks.

She had been skating backwards, checking her way over her shoulder every now and then, provoking the gadget and occasionally bashing it with the 'Revolver Shoot'. This, however, almost ended up costing the young forward her life.

The wound on Subaru's leg suddenly flared up and the pain made her shift her balance which caused her route to change slightly. And because of the sudden change in course, she almost tripped over some pebble.

The only thing that saved her from certain demise were her own, extraordinarily well honed reflexes, which she had gained through the special training program Nanoha had made specifically for her.

So when she felt herself tripping on the pebble, she didn't try to change her course, or any other desperate measure. Instead, she let herself fall backwards, arching her back and then strongly pushing off the ground with her hands, effectively getting back on her feet without even coming to a stop.

After arriving at the place she had picked, Subaru went through the plan in her mind one more time. She was now in the eastern side of the city, where the buildings were not as devastated as in the other parts for who knows what reason. The place itself was an area where several streets crossed each other.

What's more, all the streets were filled with high, run-down buildings that had somehow survived most of the catastrophe that had took place in Albasta.

In other words, the buildings were all still standing, but in weak condition. And incidentally, all the the buildings were more or less leaning towards the point where the streets crossed. Just what she had been looking for.

By the time the gadget arrived and started shooting on her, she was ready for it.

Dodging left and right, Subaru was circling the gadget, shepherding it towards a certain spot, right where the roads crossed each other.

It took her a while, but finally, the gadget was in place, and the plan could be seen through. She inhaled deeply, calming herself, readying for the next, vital part of the plan.

Blocking the gadget's attacks to ensure it didn't move anywhere, she suddenly burst into action, creating a 'Wing Road' and charging on it right at the gadget, shielding herself from the attacks she couldn't dodge.

At the last possible moment, she changed the 'Wing Road's course, going past the gadget from above. From there, she charged into the nearby building, commencing a load of cartridge on the way, and finally shooting the building with a full-powered 'Divine Buster'.

Without stopping to see if everything was going as planned, she bounced off the building and into another one just next to the first one, 'Divine Buster' at ready. After that was a third, and then fourth, until none of the buildings surrounding the crossing point had escaped her attacks.

When she turned to look at where the gadget had been left off, there was nothing but a huge pile of rubble there. All of the buildings save one had collapsed right on the poor gadget drone, burying it under tons of debris.

A victorious smile rose to the lips of the blue haired girl as she watched her own handiwork. She did not have long to gloat over her success, though, as she was soon attacked by another duo of the smaller gadgets that she had been avoiding earlier.

Subaru was, naturally, irritated by the interruption. Although, she reluctantly admitted, it saved her the trouble of looking for them. And even in her current condition, two small gadgets should not be too much of a challenge for her.

The battle was fierce, albeit not long a one. It had not been as easy for Subaru as she had thought, though.

After sending the last of the gadget drones flying straight to a wall of one of the many now ruined buildings with a strong kick, Subaru leaned against a broken pillar, trying to catch her breath.

_T-that was tougher than I'd thought...It's not easy to fight injured while holding onto a case, especially one that could blow up if you're not careful._

She turned to look up at the sky where her partner had been battling the enemy mage, but could not see any trace of them. Before she could get worried though, she heard a huge explosion from the other side of the city.

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"How'd you like that, Ms. Mercenary?! Did you enjoy my 'Burning Comet'?

The self-proclaimed Queen of Fire, Aeda of the Wyrm Sisters, mockingly shouted towards the direction of the explosion.

The smoke was still obstucting her view, but she was certain it had been a direct hit.

And no matter how strong that white haired bitch was, it was just not possible for her to have survived a direct hit.

The smile on Aeda's face vanished the next instant, as the eomtionless voice she had already learnt to hate greeted her back from behind the smoke.

"Ah, it was quite...interesting, so to say."

Aeda knew her opponent was smiling. It was still impossible to see anything, but she could feel her smile, that irritatingly innocent looking smile, mocking her.

And the thought made her absolutely furious. How could she have evaded that attack? It shouldn't have been possible.

"But," the voice continued, "I guess it is too late already, don't you think?"

The smoke was finally giving way, and the slim figure of the red eyed mage was slowly coming into view.

Aeda gasped when she saw the other mage.

"You-! How-!? Why?!" The words were rushing out, stumbling upon themselves.

Indeed, her attack had hit the other head on. Chrysae's clothes were torn and her skin had burnt from several places. Yet none of her injuries were fatal.

"It is true that I had no time to evade or even block your attack, not while I was working on that bind, anyhow," The emerald green eyes widened in bewilderment, "But, as it is, it would seem that my field alone was enough to take off the edge."

"You...You mean," Aeda could hardly believe what was going on, "You left yourself open on PURPOSE?!"

"I didn't feel like dragging this fight on." The answer was quick and emotionless,

like risking one's life on a gamble was nothing new to her.

"D-don't think you've won just because-!" Her mind finally seemed to have caught up on the conversation as whole, "Wait...did you say bind? As in...a bind?!"

Her eyes shot downward and just as she had feared, she found she had been completely caught in her opponent's bind.

"It's no use struggling against it," Chrysae's crystal clear voice told the mage who was desperately fighting to free herself from the crimson strings that were binding her to some kind of a glowing white cross, "You couldn't break it, even if you tried. It would take at least an S+-ranked mage to break free from my 'Cross Bind'."

Aeda's green eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as she heard this. At first, she thought she'd heard wrong, so to be sure, she asked: "A-an S+?! Did you say S+?!"

After a short nod from her captor, she slumped down, no longer even trying to free herself. As much as she hated to admit it, the other mage was too...sincere to bluff. Moreover, there was even no reason for her to be telling anything but the truth, and Aeda knew it.

"That's correct. Although, a AAA-ranked mage specialized in binds might be able to break it too." There was not a single hint of proudness or comtempt in her voice. She was merely stating the facts.

_Of course, that only applies to those __**inside**__ the bind._ _Even an A-ranked mage could break it from outside. Not that she needs to know it, though._

Chrysae was now floating right in front of the captured enemy mage. Her staff was pointing downward, but that was only until they'd finished the talk.

"Have any last words?" The question was asked in a cold voice that made Aeda's skin crawl. After no answer, the black staff was raised to point right at the bound mage. A magical glyph appeared below her feet, and a green glow started spreading out from Mythos.

**[Acid Shooter – Not good for you skin**

It was the moment she heard the device that Aeda realized she was in trouble. Big trouble. Closing her eyes, praying to whatever gods would hear her, she waited.

But instead of issuing a shooting command, Chrysae stood still in the air, not saying a word.

"..."

Opening her other eye slightly, Aeda noticed a slight crease on the white mage's forehead, making her look somewhat irritated.

After a moment of silence the now glowing red eyes turned to the black staff.

"Mythos."

**[Gotcha!**

The eyes like rubies narrowed.

"Mythos..." This time, it was almost as if the staff twitched. And with an apologetic voice, it asnwered, "Yes, master."

With a satisfied nod, Chrysae turned back towards her bound opponent, raising Mythos up again.

**[Acid Shooter**

"Hey, wait just a moment!" There was a hint of panic in Aeda's voice, although her expression was showing none of that.

"Hmm, what?" The white haired mage didn't really seem interested, as could be seen from the magical energy that kept gathering at her staff's tip to form a glowing, sizzling ball of acid.

"What say we leave it at this?" The sudden suggestion was enough to catch even Chrysae off guard.

"Leave it? Explain yourself." The crimson eyes were staring intensively at their prey.

"Well, it should be preetty clear now that I can't beat you. So how about you just take the girl and the relic, and I'll stay here fending off any gadgets that might come after you?" It was the last card Aeda had left, and she was betting all she had on it.

"And why would you do that?" Chrysae asked just the question the other mage had been waiting for.

"Simple. My life. Besides, I've got to vent up all this built up anger from losing to a pretty bitch like yourself on something. The gadgets should do fine. And if you're still not sure, let me ask you this. You're a mercenary, right? Your orders were to get the relic back safely, but I doubt you got any orders about enemy mages."

The emerald eyes were intently staring at the white haired mage, looking for signs of approval. "So, have we got a deal?"

For a moment, Chrysae just stood there, looking at Aeda with those beautiful red eyes of hers. Then, when she finally opened her mouth to speak, Aeda unconsciously held her breath, knowing the answer would determine her own fate.

"Very well," A relieved sigh from Aeda, "It's true I wasn't given any instructions concerning captured enemies, after all." One flick of fingers and the bind dissolved into air, releasing Aeda.

"We shall be going then." Chrysae said, turning her back on her ex-opponent to head towards the glowing blue road that was making it's way towards them.

"Bye-bye, have a safe trip!" Aeda shouted to her new 'friend's back, waving her hand all the while smiling brightly. She had, after all, lived to see another day.

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Subaru was delighted to see her partner flying towards her, as it indicated the other battle had also come to a conclusion.

"The relic?" Truth be told, Subaru was slightly disappointed that that was the first question asked, so she simple showed the case to Chrysae.

"Ah, good. Hm? You're injured...Gadget drones, I presume?" Even though her voice didn't sound too concerned, it warmed Subaru's heart somewhat, that at least the other one was treating her like an equal.

"Ah, yes. I took care of them." Subaru's answer earned her a nod of approval.

"Um...What happened to that other mage?" Subaru didn't see the flame haired girl anywhere, and was trying hard to supress image that was forming in the back of her mind.

"She has been taken care of." No emotion. No concern. Nothing. Subaru's heart jumped all the way up to her throat.

"T-taken care of? W-what...do you mean?" She didn't want to believe it. True, Subaru had just met the woman a few days back, but she couldn't believe she would've just killed off the other mage, even if she was an enemy.

"Huh? She yielded. I was only hired to retrieve the relic, so I let her go."

Subaru just stood there for a while, astounded. Then, a broad smile formed on her lips, and she nodded, "Yeah!"

"Now then, could you contact Hayate-san and inform her of our success."

Subaru was taken aback by Chrysae's words.

"Eh-? Me?! B-but-!" Subaru couldn't understand why Chrysae wanted her to do it. Moreover, something that important just didn't seem right to passed on to her.

"That's what I was told. That you were to contact her once we were finished here."

Chrysae's voice was as clear as always, but there was also a hint of amusement there.

Her red eyes were intensively staring at Subaru, and when she could no longer take it, she turned away and summoned up the floating panel to contact Hayate.

After a while, Hayate's image popped up in the screen.

"Ah, Subaru. Are you done there, already? That was quite fast, wasn't it. I knew I could count on you." Hayate was nearly chirping, seemingly very happy.

"Uh-um...Yes. We've confirmed the rumour and secured the relic."

For some reason, Subaru felt incredibly nervous.

"Good, good. Oh, the helicopter maintenance has ended so I'll just send Vice-kun there to pick you up. You can just rest up until he gets there. Oh, and by the way, have you heard about Vita and Nanoha? No, of course you haven't, you've been out for the past few days. Listen, listen..."

After Hayate had gotten started, there was no stopping her and so Subaru ended up conversing with her for hours.

The transportation arrived at the dawn of the next morning, and they were back at the Mobile Section Six's HQ by the evening.

After getting back, Subaru and Chrysae went right away to Hayate's office for the report, after handing over the relic to Shari.

"Good job, both of you." Hayate's cheery voice greeted them as soon as they entered the office. Chrysae merely nodded, while Subaru actually went as far as to bow.

"Subaru, you may go. I'm sure Chrysae-san can fill me in on the details."

Subaru obediantly exited the room, but instead of heading back to her room, she stayed in the corridor to wait for Chrysae.

She had to wait for almost half an hour before the door finally opened again, and the white haired mercenary walked out of the office. There was a hint of suprise in her red eyes as she saw Subaru. She didn't say a word, just stood there waiting.

"Uh-um...Chrysae, t-thank you for everything!" Subaru bowed deeply while saying this, leaving her gaze downwards. She waited there, her body still bent in a bow, but nothing happened. Then, suddenly her hair was ruffled.

The pale hand was cold, but for some reason, it still made Subaru feel warm inside.

"There's no need to thank me, little one," Subaru winced a little at being called 'little one', "I was just doing my job. As you were doing yours. But..."

At this point, the hand on her head disappeared, "I appreciate the thought. May we meet again, should the fate so will." The sound of the footsteps echoed in the corridor, until the silence once again fell upon it.

Subaru stayed in the bow even after the echoes had died. Then, wiping her eyes gently, she stood up and started walking. She had a promise to keep. Even if it would more than likely end up involving manically laughing Teana, tormenting her unimaginable ways.

Yes, a promise was a promise, even if she didn't feel like keeping it. Even if the other side wasn't expecting her to keep it. After all, there was no way out of it. Not as long as they shared a room. Subaru felt a chill run down her spine.

_I wonder if Nanoha would let me sleep in her room?_

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Krhm, yes, I do realize that the setting was a bit...unconvincing with the whole 'all-helicopters-in-maintenance' and all, but...  
I had to make up something to get them to go there by flying. It's an important part of the story.

Oh, and I might be using the Wyrm Sisters in my future works. Maybe.  
(At least Crimson Love will see the appearance of another Wyrm Sister) 


End file.
